No Room at the Inn
by potosw
Summary: This is the first year that young Totheark is in school and he has the lead role in a Christmas play in his kindergarten class. He wants Daddy Slenderman to come see the opening performance. Having read my A Slendy Christmas pt 2 would be useful, but it is not needed to understand what is going on.


A/N- So, this little story popped up into my head during one of my afternoon classes. The plot played through my mind, demanding to be written while I should have been focused on calculus. Meh, I'll get over it. Anyways, here is the basic plot line. This is the first year that young Totheark is in school and he has the lead role in a Christmas play in his kindergarten class. He wants Daddy Slendy to come see the opening performance. Having read _A Slendy Christmas pt 2 _would be useful, but it is not needed to understand what is going on. And, WHY, am I in the Christmas mood in October? *is going to force self to watch horror movies after this post*

Totheark ran through the woods, a large smile plastered on his face. It was not only the newly fallen snow that had him in such a great mood, but also the fact that tonight was opening night for the big school play. And he had the lead role! The little boy was certain that his Daddy would be very proud of him for having the lead. Then again, Daddy was always proud of him. He might not be able to say so out loud, but the man never hesitated to write down what he had to say. Daddy only had to write things down because he had no mouth-well, he had no face. But that didn't bother the little boy. He loved his Daddy, and he really, really wanted his Dad to come to the show. He did have an important role in the play; he was playing Joseph. It was Joseph's job to take care of Mary before baby Jesus came. It was a pretty big deal! If he did something wrong, like lead Mary to the wrong Inn, he could mess up the whole play! But, he wasn't going to do that, especially if Daddy was going to be there.

The little boy came running into the small home they lived in deep within the forest. He shouted that he was home. Daddy always asked that he let it be known it was him who was coming into the home. The doors were never locked, so just about anyone could come into this place, though people avoided it like the plague. The child could not understand it. Plenty of people camped out in this part of the forest, so it seemed only natural to the always-curious boy that people would want to explore it. Those thoughts fled his mind as he came into the kitchen to find his Dad there. The child smiled brightly and ran into the arms of his Daddy, immediately starting to tell him of his day.

The father merely nodded at the boy, a sign of his approval. He had yet to learn how to communicate with people, but he was doing the best he could. The child didn't seem to mind the fact that he never said much of anything. It was odd that one so young could look at him and smile with acceptance when any adult looked at him with terror. Then again, the child had known him for the majority of his life. The boy had no memory of his true father, and he considered the One with no face as his father. Being a father as young as he was certainly hadn't been in his plan for life, but there was no way to go back now. But, he was not going to focus on that now. Young Totheark was far too demanding with his happy energy to allow for morbid thoughts.

The boy went to the cupboard and pulled out a box of cookies. The father gave him a look, one that said he better not spoil his dinner. The child merely smiled, showing off the one baby tooth he had lost in the front. The overall effect of this smile made the child look too adorable to resist. The father had to relent and allow young Totheark to have his way, patting his head with a tendril. At the very least, he had learned to control them now. It certainly hadn't taken the child long to learn how to play his Daddy. A cute smile or some sweet action usually let him get whatever he wanted.

"Guess what, Daddy?" Totheark asked, munching on his cookies. He certainly didn't have table manners, but no one had ever taught him any better. The little boy watched as his father tilted his head to the side, a sign that he was inquisitive. The little boy smiled, happy excitement filling him and making him bounce up and down in his chair. "I'm in a play at the school! It's our big Christmas play and it only comes once a year. And, Daddy, I got the lead! I get to be Joseph. You gotta come see me tonight! Pretty please with sugar and sprinkles on top?"

The faceless man looked away from the boy that was looking at him with such great expectations. How was he supposed to tell the boy that he couldn't possibly show up? Totheark thought that he was the most normal thing in the world. He had no idea how badly other humans shunned him for not being like them, for not being one of them. If he were to go to the school, it certainly would end badly. There was no telling just how badly, though, and he did not want to risk putting the boy in danger. The child was the only one he had in this cruel world, so he was not about to uselessly endanger the child by going to see the play. It certainly would upset young Totheark to say no, but he could see no alternative. It was not like he could just make himself have a face and look normal.

He picked up a pad of paper from the counter-these pads were scattered everywhere throughout the house-and flipped it open to a random page. He was met with a drawing Totheark had made of his "father." In the child's scribbled, sloppy scrawl, he had written that he loved Daddy more than he loved cookies. How could he possibly disappoint this child, this gift from Fate? He flipped to a new page, remembering to save that other page later, and wrote down that he would be there to see the big play tonight. It wouldn't be easy, but he would find a way to show up.

Totheark's smile grew wider, if that were even possible. He flew up from his chair and ran full board at his Daddy to give him another hug and thank him for deciding to come. The boy smiled up at the blank whiteness that was his Daddy's face and gave it a quick kiss on the cheek before turning and running off toward his bedroom, saying he had to get ready for the show. Now that his Daddy was definitely going to show up, he had to make sure that his performance was perfect. He had to make his Daddy proud to be able to call him son.

Being in a crowd of anxious parents was not something Totheark's guardian had planned on. The boy had run into the school the moment they got there, far too excited to say so much as a good bye to his Daddy. So, the One with no face now stood waiting in a line to be let into the auditorium. It was odd to him that the people who ran this school would not allow them to enter yet, given the fact that it was snowing. He was not about to complain about it, however. The cold gave a perfect reason for him to have a scarf wrapped tightly around the lower half of his face. A wide-brimmed fedora sat atop his head, shielding the area that should have been his eyes. The ever-present tendrils were hidden under his overcoat. So long as no one looked too closely at him, he would look just like any other parent, if only a bit tall and too well-dressed for a children's play.

The conversation of a set of parents in front of him caught his attention. They were speaking of people that were going missing when they went into the forest. While his "son" knew nothing of what he did to provide for him, it appeared that the people of this town were finding out about his actions. It apparently said in some newspaper that it was believed someone was living in the woods as a killer, and the paper had dubbed the man as the _Slenderman_.

_Slenderman, _he tried the name out in his mind, as if speaking it aloud for others to hear. It felt right. It felt like something that he would want to be addressed as. He couldn't remember the name his mother had given him, so it would be refreshing to have a name once again. He was surprised when the parents in front of him turned their attention to him. He immediately averted his gaze, thinking up an apology and…projecting it to them?

The parents merely shrugged, not noticing that the man behind them had spoken _into _their minds. But…the _Slenderman _was well-aware of what he had just done. He had finally found a way to communicate with the world and people around him. Totheark would certainly enjoy that, even though writing his thoughts to the boy allowed him to teach the boy to read. It was odd that he had suddenly learned this knowledge, how to read and write, do math, and other things. He had simply written off as a positive effect of the chemicals he had been pumped full of. His thoughts were interrupted when the line began to move forward and enter the auditorium. He immediately took a seat in the back, where he was covered in shadows. Within five minutes of sitting down and getting properly settled, the lights all went out and the little play began.

Totheark was happy with how the play had gone. He hadn't messed up any of his lines, he had managed to get Mary to Bethlehem to have baby Jesus, and his Daddy had shown up. It was perhaps this that made the boy the most happy. Seeing the man in the audience clapping for him after the end of the play had filled the child with a vast amount of joy. It was that man that the boy was now trying to find in the crowd of happy parents and children.

The boy had not been watching where he was going and managed to walk into someone. Both he and this other person fell to the floor. Upon looking at this person, Totheark found himself looking into the angry, red face of Tommy-the class bully. Oh, this is not going to end well, thought Totheark. It was no secret that Tommy did not like him. The young boy did not understand why this other boy didn't like him; he had never done anything to him.

Tommy shoved the smaller boy off of himself and stood up, brushing off his pants in an annoyed matter. As the smaller boy went to get up, Tommy pushed him down again. "You should watch where you're going, stupid. Didn't your Daddy ever teach you manners? Oh wait, you don't have a Dad, or least not one that cares about you."

Totheark glared up at the boy, quickly getting to his feet. "I do too have a Daddy that cares about me. He came to the play tonight!" The child was not about to let the bully be mean about his Dad. He loved his Daddy and would stand up for him, even to a big bully like Tommy.

"Then where is he? I don't see him standing here with you," Tommy replied, crossing his arms over his chest. When the smaller boy starting going on about the fact that he didn't see Tommy's parents standing with him, the bully started to get annoyed. The boy grabbed Totheark by the collar and pulled him around, making him look towards the Principal. "See, stupid, my parents are talking to Principal Gordon. They like each other, so I get special treatment."

Totheark replied under his breath, "I guess that's why you get to be such a jerk to everyone and get away with it." The boy regretted saying it, as he realized that Tommy had heard him. No one got away with saying mean things about Tommy. There was no telling how the boy would react, but a fist slamming into Totheark's belly told him pretty quickly what the boy had planned. It was just like any other time he had said something against the boy. He didn't understand why he was the only one who was willing to say stuff against the boy. Oh well, he figured. He could stand being beat up again. As long as Daddy continued to remain clueless about this happening, everything would be fine. Daddy was very protective of his boy, and it likely wouldn't end well if he ever found out about this.

The smaller boy watched as the bully came at him, only for his line of sight to be interrupted by a man coming to stand in front of him. The man looked to be well-dressed, if the back of his dark overcoat was any indication. Totheark pulled himself to his feet, wanting to tell this guy that he didn't need to get involved. When the man glanced back at him, Totheark's face lit up. It was Daddy! At the same time, though, he was worried about what Daddy would do to the bully.

Tommy looked up at this man who had his face covered. This guy certainly looked weird. Why would he be wearing a scarf, hat, and overcoat inside? It was warm in this auditorium. Then again, if this was Totheark's Dad, it would explain why his kid was so strange. Still, he couldn't very well act rude in front of an adult-he had to keep up the image that he was a polite kid. He held his hand out to the man, like he saw his father do when meeting someone or at a business deal. "Hello sir. I'm Tommy."

Slenderman merely stared at the boy's hand for a long moment before the child finally retracted it. Did this child honestly expect him to buy the act he was putting on? He had seen with his own eyes-so to speak-this child punch his "son". Perhaps it was time to teach this child a lesson. This Tommy liked to intimidate, scare, and hurt people in the school. Well, it would not take much to scare this kid.

_Why do you find it necessary to bully other children? Do you like seeing fear in their eyes?_

Totheark was quite surprised to hear a voice inside his head, and he quickly identified it as that of his father. Well, this certainly was new. He knew, of course, that he wouldn't be able to tell anyone about this, but it was still cool that Daddy could talk now. He liked the sound of his father's voice; it was strong and held no room for nonsense. He looked to Tommy, who had gone deathly white upon hearing a voice enter his mind. Totheark smiled, liking the wide-eyed look on his face. It was nice to finally see the bully scared. He knew that it was mean to think this way, but the child couldn't help himself. His father's voice came into the boys' minds once again, _Answer me, Thomas. _No one addressed Tommy that way unless he was in trouble.

Tommy ran away, scared beyond words that someone could talk into his head. He, of course, wouldn't tell anyone about this, for who would believe him? He would likely get thrown into some room for crazy people. Needless to say, he didn't plan to ever bother James Totheark Jr. ever again.

"Daddy, you can talk now!" Totheark exclaimed after Tommy had run off.

Slenderman offered his hand to the boy, which was immediately clasped by the child's smaller hand. As they made their way out of the auditorium, he answered, _Indeed. I don't really know how this works, but I don't hear you complaining, so I'll go with it. _He looked down on the boy to find him smiling brightly up at him. He wished he could smile back at the boy, but he settled for simply leading them through the snow-covered city. It would be cold tonight in their home, so the One with no face figured that he could find something for them to do inside before they had to go home. The question was: where would they go?

"Did you like the show, Daddy?" Totheark asked after they had walked for a good five minutes in silence. He knew that his Daddy was always quiet, but now that he could talk he wanted to hear the man's voice some more. And there was the fact that he really did want to know if Daddy thought he had done a good job.

_You did very well. I give the play ten stars out of ten. Now, why don't we celebrate your wonderful acting skills and go somewhere. Where would you like to go? _Slenderman replied. It was odd being able to walk through the city without getting odd looks. As he glanced at the people they walked by, no one spared him any special attention. He would definitely need to dress up like this more often.

The little boy thought for a moment and then a wonderful idea popped into his mind. Many of his friends said that they went to visit their Grandparents during Christmas. They said that Grandparents always gave great presents. It seemed only logical that they go to visit his Daddy's parents. It was Christmas Eve, after all. They never left their house on Christmas, so they would have to visit tonight! After all of this intense thinking, Totheark looked up at his Daddy and replied, "How about we go and visit Grandma and Grandpa? I never got to meet them."

Why did the child always have to ask for the most impossible things? He couldn't, he wouldn't, go to see them. The memories of becoming…whatever he was…were far too fresh in his memory. But, he was never able to deny anything to the little boy he called son. Perhaps if it was just his mother there, they could stop in quickly. It would make Totheark happy, and he could see his first Christmas tree. They never had one in the house and the school didn't have one, for some odd reason. He never saw the point in having a tree, so he had never brought one into the house in the woods. He sighed, changing their path to head to the place he hoped he would never need to return to.

The two stood outside the window, looking in on the family room of Slenderman's old home. It was decorated to the nines for the holiday. The Christmas tree, though, took up the full attention of the room. It was a real tree, and held ornaments of all sizes along with thousands of lights. It was the single nicest tree Slenderman had ever seen, and they had it now that he was gone. When he had been living with them, the Christmas tree always looked wanting to him. Why was it that his parents would make the tree look so nice now that he was gone? He had spotted his mother in the room, sitting on the couch and watching some Christmas movie he had never seen. He had planned to tap on the window to gain her attention, to ask if he and young Totheark could come in to visit for perhaps a moment. Then he had spotted his father. Without another thought, he had pulled Totheark away from the window and began pulling them towards home.

The little boy did not understand why they wouldn't go in to visit his grandparents. His Grandma looked to be perfectly nice, dressed up in a pretty, black dress. His Grandpa looked like he was a kind man, even though he wore one of those notoriously ugly Christmas sweaters. All he wanted to do was go inside, get warm, and play by the big tree. It was a Christmas tree, according to Daddy, though the man hadn't explained what its significance was. Tears began to slowly slide down his face as Daddy continued to lead them back home. "Daddy," he sniffed, "I wanna go back and meet them. I want to play by the Christmas tree! Why can't we go back?"

_Because I said so, _Slenderman replied. Memories were making him harsh, making him act as he did when the child was not around. He should have known that coming back to this place would only upset him. He should have known better than to go looking for trouble. It was only by some wonderful twist of luck that his father hadn't seen them looking through the window. That could have led to an absolute disaster-namely, young Totheark being taken from him to be tested on. That thought terrified him to no end. No one should ever need to suffer like he had.

Totheark tried to stifle his tears. He was a big boy; he shouldn't be crying like some little baby just because he didn't get to meet his Grandparents. Yes, he was a big boy, and big boys didn't need gifts from old people to make them happy. Keeping that thought in mind, the boy pushed his disappointment away and opted for happiness. It was Christmas Eve, after all. Tomorrow, he would wake up to find what presents Santa had left for him.

They arrived back to the home in the forest, and little Totheark immediately ran into his room, saying that he had to go to bed before Santa came. He did, of course, put some cookies and milk out first. He couldn't very well let Santa get hungry while delivering all of those presents to the good little boys and girls of the world. He also left out nine carrots, one for each reindeer. With those tasks completed, he had run off to bed, barely saying good night to his Daddy. He was so excited for morning!

Slenderman sat down heavily on the couch, removing the overcoat and fedora. Santa, how could he have forgotten about the presents for the boy? He couldn't just give the boy coal. He had been a well-behaved boy all year. Yes, he knew there was no Santa to do this job for him. It had been a bit disheartening for him when he learned that there was no such thing as Santa, but he was not about to let Totheark find that fact out. He had managed to steal some things from his old home, which usually became toys for young Totheark. It was just lucky that he had put some things aside for the boy. They would have to be his Christmas presents. They may be perused, but it was the best that Slenderman could manage. He could only hope that they would make the child happy.

It was five in the morning when the Slenderman was suddenly awoken by someone jumping up and down on his bed, screaming at him to get up and that Santa had come. He simply rolled over, burying his nonexistent face into the pillow. It was far too early to be up and about. He most certainly was not a morning person.

Totheark jumped around some more before plopping himself down next to his Daddy, effectively crushing a tendril under him. Feeling the odd appendage squirming around under him and his hearing Daddy say "ow" quickly made the boy roll off of the bed. Still, that did not stop him in his pursuits of trying to get his Dad out of bed. He grabbed his hand and began pulling on it. "Come on! Santa came! You have to get up Daddy!"

Slenderman pulled his hand away from the boy and forced himself to get out of the bed. He clearly was not about to be allowed to go back to sleep. He honestly did not understand why children insisted upon having their parents be in the room for them to open presents, but that was something he could think about later. For now, he followed Totheark into the family room. Gifts of various sizes were around the room, and the boy did not hesitate but to quickly dig in.

About three hours later, the boy had finally opened all of his presents. He was now sleeping in a pile of wrapping paper, cuddling one of his presents-a container of Tinker Toys. Slenderman could not understand why the boy had chosen this particular gift as his favorite, but then again he didn't understand everything about children and how their minds worked. He barely understood how his own mind worked. Still, he couldn't help but internally smile at the boy as soft snores began to fill the room.

_Merry Christmas, my Little One._ Slenderman stated softly into the boy's dreaming mind. As he continued to watch the boy, a smile came across the child's face. It had been done. The child would have a Christmas worthy of remembering for the years to come. Maybe he could be a good father to this little boy after all.


End file.
